


Paradise

by hubbletuff



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff and Angst, Jabberwock Island (Dangan Ronpa), Multi, Neo World Program (Dangan Ronpa), Team Bonding, but there are unsettling moments, he just makes me uncomfortable, starts out chill and fun, stuff that comes with the remnants, teruteru is not in this sorry, unreality
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:27:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29451531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hubbletuff/pseuds/hubbletuff
Summary: When Junko offers the choice of staying in a perfect digital world with all their friends, the five survivors are unable to say no. Who would complain about living in paradise forever?
Relationships: Hinata Hajime & Kamukura Izuru, Hinata Hajime & Koizumi Mahiru, Hinata Hajime & Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko, Hinata Hajime & Nanami Chiaki, Hinata Hajime & Saionji Hiyoko, Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito, Koizumi Mahiru/Saionji Hiyoko, Komaeda Nagito & Soda Kazuichi, Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko/Pekoyama Peko, all ships but komahina are pretty minor
Comments: 16
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!!  
> Before we start, I just wanted to say that this was initially inspired by an animatic by leariqa on youtube, which you should DEFINITELY check out. You'll love it, I promise.  
> So like I said in the tags, all ships except komahina will be minor! I've been thinking I might add some soudam but that's a big if.

_The dining hall of the old building is completely empty except for a lone table in the corner. He knows what’s underneath it but he’s so scared. He has to look at it. He has to investigate to save them all. His steps are slow and sound like thunder as he walks towards the table. There’s a lamp on top of it. He doesn’t see the cord until it’s too late and he’s tripping, falling falling falling through the glowing floorboards._

_This time, he’s standing under a showerhead that won’t turn on. There’s people crying in the other room. She’s crying, he’s crying, she’s crying, they’re all crying and screaming about revenge. He needs this to_ **_stop_ ** _, he can’t let anyone else get hurt. He shouldn’t have voted. It would be better than this. There’s a loud thwacking sound and he runs to the door, pushing it quickly open, only to find a room on an entirely different island._

_The lighting hasn’t been lowered yet. She’s still hanging limply. Everything is silent. It’s almost peaceful like this, but only if you pretend she isn’t here and if you ignore the lump beneath the wallpaper on the right pillar. He should find someone but something tells him that there’s more to find here. He feels his feet start to guide him to the pillar, to the mysterious shape, and unwillingly he reaches out to touch it, only to find cold stone where there should have been paper._

_The room is glowing green, like it’s been painted with the mistakes of the first murder. There’s the metal man, just below his feet. There was never any life in that body. He doesn’t know why he’s even surprised at this point. He wants to leave, he wants to be the person he thought he was ten minutes ago. But all of a sudden the elevator is rocketing upwards, past green, past red, until all he sees is gray._

_There’s someone lying on the floor. This is maybe the most gruesome murder that he’s seen yet but there’s something wrong with it. They were all here, she was here, there’s no way of knowing who did it. He has all the pieces but the puzzle is not one he wants to solve. He’s torn between protecting her and avenging a corpse that he refuses to admit he cared about. Before he can make a choice, a bear ushers him out of the gray room and through the front doors until he reaches a trial that he cannot comprehend._

_Eight people and a phone stand in a circle. No- nine people. She’s here. She’s here, he doesn’t want to forget her and she’s reaching out for him. He wants so desperately to grasp her hand but his body feels weighed down like lead._

_The scene changes again._

_He walks into the operating room for the first time, escorted by doctors. He trusts them. He trusts them with his life. They promised him he’d be the same, just better. He’d still be here and he’d get to stand on the same playing field as her. He’ll finally be worth something. He just wants to be confident. If this is what it takes, so be it. He takes his place, lying down on the operating table, and before he can process what is happening there is something in his brain that wasn’t there before and-_

Hajime woke up relaxed. Why wouldn’t he have been? Everything was fine. There was no reason to be upset, not on such a gorgeous tropical getaway. It was perfect there and he couldn't wait to greet this gorgeous new day. Grinning, he rushed out of his cottage and headed to the restaurant where he knew everyone he cared about would be. He was content; there was nothing missing.

While leaving, he didn't even notice that his clothes had suddenly changed without him so much as touching his dresser.

The sun came down hard, and he’d be overheating if it weren’t for the soft breeze cooling everything down. It was the perfect temperature. Hajime reached his hand down to feel the cold water as he walked past the pool. _We should go swimming later,_ he thought. It would be a waste not to do anything on such a beautiful day.

While he lazily waved the pool water around, someone came up behind him. “Good morning, Hajime!”

“Oh, hey Sonia. How’d you sleep?”

“Quite well, thank you!”

The Ultimate Princess looked perfect as usual. Her hair was tied up in a bun, the golden locks shining beneath the sunlight. Hajime couldn't help but notice that she was wearing shorts instead of her usual skirt. “You going for a hike later?”

“Oh, yes! I thought I’d go up the mountain on the central island and see the view. I bet the island looks beautiful from up there!” Sonia exclaimed, eyes sparkling with joy and anticipation. “I’ll see if I can get Gundham to tag along as well! It may be good exercise for the Four Dark Devas of Destruction.”

“Heh, well you guys have fun. Get some breakfast first, though! Don’t want one of you passing out on the way up the mountain.”

Sonia grinned and walked gracefully to the restaurant, almost floating. Fitting of an Ultimate Princess. Hajime got up out of his kneeling position and followed her, taking his time. There was no need to rush. Not on Jabberwock Island.

The dining hall was busy like every other morning, but not overwhelmingly so. Everyone sat together in a group and talked about whatever came to mind. It was a goal among the class to see who could make Kazuichi laugh the hardest while he was drinking his juice, just to see him snort it out through his nose. Kazuichi never seemed to mind. He looked happy just to be included.

That morning, Hajime piled some eggs and toast onto his plate in a high pile. The food there was so delicious that he always took seconds and sometimes even thirds, under the guise of not letting any go to waste. He took his regular seat at the dining table, between Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko, already having stuffed a slice of toast in his mouth.

“Morning, bro! How’d ya sleep?” Kazuichi grinned toothily.

“I shlept gweat,” -he tried to chew through his words- “How ‘bout you?”

“Well-”

Mahiru interrupted quickly from down the table. “Hajime, chew your food! It’s impolite and gross to talk while you’re eating! Not to mention you could choke!”

“Hah, that’d be fun to see!” Hiyoko snickered behind her hand as best she could with Mahiru rubbing dirt off her face with a handkerchief.

“Oh hush, you!” Mahiru grumbled.

Hajime couldn't help but grin while he swallowed his food. God, he wouldn’t trade this for the world.

Fuyuhiko began a long rant about how Kazuichi’s teeth made no sense, but Hajime was too distracted by the person sitting down across from him to care. _Nagito moves so gracefully yet so clumsily_ , he thought. _He’s like a walking contradiction._ Nagito smiled softly across the table and slid a glass of orange juice over to him.

“Good morning, Hajime. I saw you’d forgotten to get some juice this morning, so I-”

“THANKS- Heh, I mean, thank you,” Hajime hoped his blush wasn’t too obvious, “That’s really nice of you.”

“Of course, anything for you!” Nagito tucked a lock of unruly hair behind his ear and took a sip from his lemonade, smiling shyly. The sun coming through the windows made him seem even more ethereal than he already was, like a ghost or an angel. It’s a sort of haunting beauty.

Hajime tried to distract himself from staring at Nagito by tuning into the conversation being had by the two boys on either side of him.

“Goddammit, how do you even brush those fucking things?” Fuyuhiko threw his hands up in the air.

“Dude, I’ve told you a thousand times! It’s the same as anyone else! You just, brush! It’s really not that hard to understand, I don’t know why you’re so hung up on it.” Kazuichi brought his hand to his forehead as if listening to Fuyuhiko’s complaints were giving him a migraine.

“I know for a fucking _fact_ , that that can’t just be it! I mean, dog toothbrushes are different, right?”

“Did you just call me a _dog-_!?”

Hajime butted in before the two could start slapping each other over his head. “Fuyuhiko, I’m pretty sure those toothbrushes are only different because the dogs can’t brush their teeth themselves. And Kazuichi, I’m not gonna lie, I’m kind of skeptical, too. You’ve at least got to be breaking the toothbrushes often, right? There’s no way they can just take it when your teeth are so weird.”

“My teeth are not _weird!_ But yeah, _I guess_ they break pretty easily. But that’s just a design flaw! One day I’m gonna make an even better brush and then you’ll really be sorry!”

“Pfft, sorry for what?” Hajime snickered, “It’s not like we challenged you or anything.”

Kazuichi spluttered and waved his hands around in indignation. “Y-you might as well have! Right, Nagito?!”

“Oh, hmm? You’re asking me? I don’t think my opinion really matters here-”

Fuyuhiko groaned loudly, slouching in his seat. “Just answer the fucking question, weirdo! Or else we’re just gonna be talking in circles all day!”

Nagito looked sheepish and smiled apologetically at Kazuichi. “Wellll, I didn’t hear any sort of challenge being issued. But if there was, I’m sure you could do it! You’re the ultimate mechanic, after all! How hopeful that would be…”

“Oookay let’s stop this line of conversation before Nagito can get all swirly.” Fuyuhiko grimaced. Hajime and Kazuichi quickly nodded, but Nagito appeared to have disappeared into his own little world. “Alright, I’m gonna head out. Peko wants to hang out with the animals at the ranch and I’m coming with her.”

“Oh?” Nagito leaned forward, seemingly snapped out of his stupor. “How romantic!”

“THIS- IT’S NOT- UGH!” The shorter boy threw his hands up in the air and stormed off, stomping down the stairs of the restaurant, grumbling all the way. The remaining three shared a look and, after a moment of silence, burst into laughter.

“He’s pretty easy to rile up for a yakuza, to be honest.”

“Oh! Hajime, I didn’t mean to be rude or undermine his talent! I simply wanted to point out how-”

“Heh, I know, Nagito,” Hajime tried to hide his smile behind his hand, “Just a misunderstanding.”

Kazuichi didn't seem to take the hint and winked dramatically at the two of them. “Yeahhhh, a _misunderstanding_.”

Nagito suddenly turned deathly quiet and his smile dropped. “Kazuichi. I would _never_ purposefully disrespect an ultimate. Someone like me would have no right to speak to Fuyuhiko like that! I shouldn’t even be speaking to him at all! Or you, for that matter! Heh… I’m so lucky to have this opportunity…”

Hajime chuckled at the ridiculousness of his friends and went to leave the restaurant, leaving them to their own devices. _What to do, what to do…_ He mused. _I think I’ll spend the day at the beach. Maybe someone will come by and we can spend our free time together._

He whistled while walking past the cottages, only to be caught off guard by a split second of movement in the corner of his eye. It had looked like… hair. Long black hair waving in the wind from somewhere behind his cottage. He should go and check it out, but… something inside him told him that was a bad idea. It felt like a warning. He shivered and continued his walk to the beach. It was probably nothing.

No one can hurt them. Not on Jabberwock Island.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peace on Jabberwock Island is interrupted for a moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, there's a scene in this chapter that I can best describe as a panic attack. It's not too graphic but if you think that may trigger you, stop around the middle of the chapter. You'll know when it starts. Also, warning for some thoughts of unreality, but that's kind of a given for this fic.

The days on Jabberwock Island were long, but always felt far too short. Perks of living on a tropical island, he supposed. Hajime watchds the sun set over the ocean horizon, sitting up on the beach. The sand was cool between his fingers as he let it slip out of his hand, over and over again, a calming motion. The only sound came from crickets chirping softly in the distance. It was perfect. Idyllic. He would give anything to stay in this peaceful moment forever.

There had been moments throughout the day when he saw classmates crossing the bridges between islands, but they never came over to speak to him. They were usually pretty spread out; Jabberwock Island is large. Most people hung out in pairs every day, with a few regular haunts. Mikan on the third island, Kazuichi and Nagito on the fifth island (although there wasn’t much to see there- just some food stalls and a build site for Sea King Industries), Akane and Nekomaru on the second, Byakuya and Ibuki on the fourth, Mahiru and Hiyoko on the first island, and everyone else wandering somewhere in between.

Hajime usually stuck to the first and central islands. Some of the others tended to freak him out, especially the fifth. He didn't really know how to explain it but the fifth island felt _wrong_ to him. Maybe it was the color scheme, maybe it was the industrial vibe, he wasn't sure. He just made sure to avoid it.

Besides, if he spent his time at all the super exciting locations like the others, he wouldn’t get moments like this. Sitting on the beach, feeling a sense of languid calm. The sound of waves lapping at the shore felt like it’d lull him to sleep any second.

Hajime’s eyes slipped closed for a moment and when he opened them again, he saw two people walking up the beach to his left. Fuyuhiko and Peko. Their fingers were tangled together and he couldn't help but feel like he was intruding on a private moment between the two of them, despite him having been there first. He was glad Fuyuhiko had Peko. They were good for each other.

If anyone deserved to find love here, it was them.

They seemed too enraptured in each other to notice him farther back on the beach. He was glad; he didn’t know what he’d say if they came up to him. It seemed someone else has no such hesitations, though.

“Hey, everybody!” Akane shouted from somewhere behind him, “How ya doin’?”

Fuyuhiko and Peko seemed to shoot apart. Hajime wanted to groan in annoyance but held back his exasperation. It’d probably just embarrass them even more.

“Oh, ah, hello Akane,” Peko hesitated, “We’re- I’m fine. Just… taking a walk.”

“Yeah, I heard you two were hanging out all day! At the ranch, right? That’s so sweet, Baby Gangsta! What a softie!”

“Shut up! Stop calling me thar!” Fuyuhiko yelled as a blush rose to his face.

“Haha, never! What about you, Hajime? Anything interesting?”

He hadn’t really expected for her to put him on the spot when the conversation seemed centered around the two lovebirds before them. “Uh, nothing much. I’ve just been hanging out at the beach all day. I watched Sonia and Gundham climb the rocks on the central island.”

Fuyuhiko seemed to shiver, “God, those rocks creep me the fuck out. I don’t even know why. Shit dude, how’d you even see them from over here? It’s way too far.”

“Don’t know. Just have good eyesight, I guess.”

“Yeah, inhumanly good!” Akane put her hand on her hip, “It’s unfair! Anyway, it must have been kinda boring being on the beach all day.”

“Nah, not really. Just peaceful. I think I fell asleep for a bit, though.”

“Jeez, on the beach? The sand must have been burning! It was hot as hell today! I’m glad I don’t have to wear sunscreen, that’d just be annoying.”

_It’s true_ , Hajime thought. Sunscreen always seemed to make things feel hotter and-

Wait. He didn't wear sunscreen. He had never put it on, not here on Jabberwock Island. Why wasn't he getting sunburnt? It was too hot here. No, no it wasn't, it was always the perfect temperature. Why-!?

“What have you been doing today, Akane?” Peko interrupted his thoughts. His head started to throb.

“Coach and I have been training all day! It’s intense!” Akane’s words seemed to fade as the fog in Hajime’s head grew thicker.

A sense of panic gripped his heart. It was cold, all of a sudden. It was cold and he needed to- he needed to get home. Stumbling off without a word, he triesd to fight the dizziness overtaking him. The concerned words of his friends fell behind as he tried desperately to get back to his cabin. _It’ll be right in the morning,_ he repeated to himself, _everything will reset and be right in the morning. What am I talking about? I just need to go to sleep. I don’t understand._ It felt like there was some part of him keeping a secret from himself.

The gates of the hotel appeared in front of him before long. How long had been walking, running, moving? It didn’t matter. It didn’t matter. There was nothing to worry about there and no one could hurt them on Jabberwock Island.

He bumped into something- no, someone. “Woah, Hajime, are you okay?” A concerned and raspy voice asked him.

“I- I’m fine, I need to go.” He pushed the person aside and continued his trek. Just a little longer. When he fell asleep, it would all be right again.

Just as he was about to turn towards the boys’ side of the cabins, something stopped him. Like a magnet was pulling him to the other side of the boardwalk. Hajime turned around slowly and shakily, to see a sight that felt _wrong_. There were seven girls living on Jabberwock Island. Seven cabins, one for each. So why was there a cabin across from Mikan’s? He could have sworn it wasn’t there that morning- or maybe it was and he had just never noticed. It wa terrifying. The cabin was difficult to look at, like trying to stare at the sun except there was nothing bright about it, just- impossible to process.

“Hajime, what’s wrong?” The person from before put their delicate and thin hand on his shoulder, spindly fingers feeling like they were digging into his soul. The voice was familiar and even though he thought it should be comforting, it scared him. Reminded him of crazed laughter and nonsensical rants.

“ _I need to get out of here_.” He whispered.

Hajime turned and ran to his cabin, banging the door open and stumbling to his bed. _Please, please,_ he thought to himself as he fell on the sheets and began to black out, _fix this._

And it did.

  
  
  


Hajime awoke the next morning to the soft sun streaming through his window. The birds were chirping and he could hear the waves crashing against the beach. It was so comforting and peaceful.

It was a perfect morning.

His doorbell rang all of a sudden. It startled him for a moment, but doesn’t harm the calm that had settled over him.

“One second,” Hajime called and walked to open the door. On the other side stood Nagito, seeming worried. “Good morning!”

“...Good morning to you as well, Hajime. You seem… chipper.”

“Why wouldn’t I be? Everything is fine.” He pushed past the other boy and began his walk to the restaurant, just like every morning.

Behind him, Nagito’s brows furrowed in confusion and concern.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Hope yall liked this! Comments and kudos are appreciated as always :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Saturday, another chapter! Here we go again B)  
> This chapter is a bit more fluffy, since last chapter had that break in reality. I wanted to keep it quiet for a bit.

Sometimes, all Hajime wanted to do was jump into the ocean and swim forever. He wanted to let the water wash over him and pull him down into the depths, resurfacing only when his lungs began to burn. It’d be exciting.

For now, the closest he could get was to hold his breath beneath the water of the pool for as long as he could. As it turned out, he could last a pretty long time. His record was 56 seconds. Mahiru always sat by the pool during the day, so she timed him while Hiyoko yelled insults at him from a pool chair in the shade. As mean as Hiyoko was, it was encouraging in a way. Besides, he could barely hear her under the water.

Muffled taunts reached his ears, saying something along the lines of him being a weak little bitch, but it didn’t bother him. It was so peaceful underwater. Hajime always kept his eyes open, even when the goggles leaked a little. Mahiru would always chastise him for it but he didn’t mind. It was worth it, to see the sunlight streaming, distorted, through the water, leaving a pattern of light on his skin. His hair floated around his head, feeling softer than ever.

Even if it made it harder to break his record, he’d sometimes breathe out slowly through his mouth, just to see the bubbles stream out. He half expects them to form words to retaliate against Hiyoko. It was entertaining to see how the bubbles wiggled in the water, drifting in unpredictable waves to the surface. The only downside was, of course, having to come up for air quicker.

He breached the water with a deep, gasping gulp for air. Trying unsuccessfully to flip his soggy hair from his forehead, Hajime swam over to the edge of the pool to see Mahiru standing above him with her hands on her hips, silhouetted by the sunlight.

“How’d I do?” He asked, squinting at her.

“Not-”

“Shit! You did shit!” Hiyoko interrupted, cackling and pointing at him, causing Mahiru to sigh deeply.

“Yeah, not very well. Only 40 seconds.”

“Dammit!” Hajime climbed out of the pool and rolled onto the hot pavement, causing Mahiru to step back away from him so as not to get water on her sandals.

“Ah, don’t worry,” Mahiru smiled encouragingly. “You just need to practice a little more.”

“He’s been ‘practicing’ for weeks,” Hiyoko exclaimed. “Still not getting any better! Might as well give up, Hajime-nii.”

Hajime rolled his eyes, making sure to exaggerate so Hiyoko could see. “Oh come on, go easy on me.”

Hiyoko’s sick grin seemed to grow wider. “Never!”

As much as he’d never admit it, Hajime really did see Hiyoko as a little sister. Everyone on the island did, really, except for Mahiru. As much as she tried to put up a mean front, she was still just a kid like the rest of them.

That was the best part of Jabberwock Island: they could let loose and just  _ be _ . No need to worry about the responsibilities of the outside world.

Mahiru giggled at their exchange and walked over to lie down on Hiyoko’s pool chair, resting her head on her girlfriend’s lap.

Hajime playfully raised an eyebrow. “What, Hiyoko, not going to play with  _ my _ hair?”

“As if! Your hair feels like straw,” She stuck her tongue out as her fingers tangled in Mahiru’s short hair, “ _ Maybe _ if you were Nagito-nii.”

“What?! Is Nagito’s hair really that soft? I’m not good enough, is that what you’re saying?”

“Nope,” She popped the ‘p’, “Nagito-nii’s hair feels like a cloud.  _ You’re _ like a scarecrow.”

Just as he was about to retort, Hajime heard footsteps slapping on the pavement behind him.

“Cannonball!!!” Came Kazuichi’s loud voice just before he jumped into the pool, splashing the trio resting at the side.

“Ugh, you uggo,” Hiyoko complained. “You ruined my kimono!”

“I  _ did not _ !”

“Heh, I have to agree with Hiyoko, Kazuichi.” A familiar and raspy voice came from behind them all, at the side of the pool by the cabins. Hajime’s smile grew. There stood Nagito, in swim trunks and long-sleeved swim shirt, with a towel slung over his shoulder.

“Hey, Nagito, we were just talking about you,” Mahiru said. “Care to join us?”

“Oh, all good things, I hope! And yes, I was planning to do some swimming. Kazuichi and I have been laboring around the fifth island all day so we thought it’d be fun to cool off here.”

“What?” Kazuichi exclaimed, looking upset. “No one’s going to say hi to me?”

“Nope,” Hajime smirked.

The pink-haired boy’s protests were drowned out by romantic music in Hajime’s mind as Nagito came to sit next to him at the end of the pool.  _ Be normal, be normal, please be normal,  _ Hajime thought to himself,  _ I need to just act normal around him for once instead of freaking out _ .

Hajime never survived his interactions with Nagito all that well. He usually said something weird or stuttered through his words. There was something about the other boy’s presence that just made him tongue-tied. Maybe it was the way his beauty seemed to drown out everything else, maybe how his voice gave Hajime butterflies, maybe it was the way he seemed to compliment Hajime every other sentence. It all turned the brunette to jelly.

“Good afternoon, Hajime,” Nagito smiled in his usual friendly manner. “How are you today?”

“Oh, I’m good! Just fine!”

“Oh, well, I’m glad. You seemed very upset last night. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“What?” Hajime’s confusion must have shown in his voice or expression because Nagito frowned back at him.

“Well when you ran into me last night, you looked like you were panicking…”

“Oh, um, I don’t really remember.” Hajime looked away. “I just kind of went right to sleep that night. I was tired. Long day.”

“Really?” Nagito raised an eyebrow. “You were awfully upset. And Peko told me you spent the whole day at the beach, that doesn’t seem too strenuous.”

“Listen, man!” Hajime snapped all of a sudden. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! Just drop it!” For some reason, Nagito’s questioning left his blood boiling. Why did he need to know? It didn’t matter. He was fine.

Nagito flinched at the angry tone, then frowned and furrowed his brows. “Well, fine,” He said in a clipped tone of voice. “I’ll just leave you alone then.”

_ Oh shit. _

“Wait, no, Nagito-” Hajime tried to protest, but Nagito was already slipping into the pool and swimming off towards Kazuichi, who was trying to swing on a pool noodle. “Fuck,” Hajime muttered under his breath. “ _ Way to go. _ ”

Well, that was a bust.

“ _ Wowww,” _ Hiyoko drawled from a few feet away. “Very smooth, loverboy.”

“Shut up!” Hajime crossed his arms in frustration. “Wh- Mahiru, stop laughing! …You guys  _ suck _ .”

The five of them hung out around the pool for the rest of the afternoon, until the sun began to set. Despite his friends’ teasing, Hajime was still content. It had been a pretty good day. He’d have to make it up to Nagito soon, though…

Yeah, he’d kind of messed up.

Still, just thinking about the night before gave him a headache and he had no idea why. He’d just hung out on the beach, had a nice conversation with Akane, Fuyuhiko, and Peko, and then gone back to his cabin to sleep. It had been normal. He doesn’t even remember being upset. Hajime just couldn’t understand why Nagito would be so hung up on it.

_ Whatever _ , he thought to himself as he read a random book in his cabin,  _ it doesn’t matter. _

“ _ It does, it does matter. Don’t give up.  _ **_Think. Remember_ ** _.” _ He heard a deadpan voice whisper from somewhere in his cabin.

Hajime rolled off the bed in shock and jumped into some sort of fighting position. “What the hell? Who’s there?!”

There was no response.

But Hajime still felt like he was being watched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, Kazuichi and Nagito as a BroTP is so underrated tbh. They have such a good dynamic. And I will NEVER shup about the trio of them and Fuyuhiko lol, they are so funny together. Love a good chaotic friendship.  
> Anyway, hope you guys liked this chapter, it was fun to write! I always forget how much I love writing Hiyoko and Mahiru. I know a lot of people hate her, but I really like Hiyoko! I think her character is a lot more complex than most people give her credit for. Maybe I'll write something just about her one day.  
> As always, comments and kudos are much appreciated :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a day late! I had kind of a busy day yesterday and forgot to post lol

“Come on!  _ Answer me! _ ” Hajime yelled into the empty air of his cottage. “I- I know you’re here somewhere! I’m not crazy, okay?! I heard you!” It had been nearly an hour since he first heard the voice in the corner of his room. Hajime was becoming increasingly panicked the longer whatever entity was in his cottage stayed silent. “Why won’t you just fucking  _ answer me _ ?!” He punched the wall in anger, leaving a noticeable dent. Shit, he’d have to fix that later.

“ _ Calm down.”  _ The voice came again all of a sudden, seemingly reacting to his outburst. Hajime jumped. The voice was dark and familiar, like some twisted reflection of something he knew but couldn’t put his finger on.  _ “I am not going to hurt you, Hajime Hinata. I have no way of doing so even if I wished to. Just speaking to you like this takes effort.” _

Hajime balled his fists and tried to appear confident and intimidating. “Who are you? You’re not in the room, how are you even talking to me? This doesn’t make any  _ sense _ .” The urge to pull at his own hair and drop into a ball on the floor grew stronger every second. He had no idea how he was so calm in the first place; it felt like he should have been screaming and running for help, but for some reason his heartbeat slowed. As shocking as this all was, it wasn’t… surprising. Hajime didn’t know what that meant. He only knew the feeling.

“ _ You’re right, it doesn’t make sense. Not right now. It will. But the problem is that you have all the clues and you  _ refuse _ to put them all together. _ ” If it weren’t for that bored, deadpan tone, Hajime would have said the voice was…  _ frustrated _ . He could feel it. “ _ And for the matter of how I am talking to you right now, even I am unsure. It seems the program could not keep me asleep forever. _ ”

“ _ What the fuck?! _ What does that even mean? What program?”

“ _ Like I said, you have all the clues. _ ”

“Yeah, about that! I repeat,  _ what the fuck are you talking about?! _ I haven’t seen any ‘clues’.” Hajime made air quotes around his head at the last part, despite not even knowing if the voice could see him.

“ _ Yes, you have. The way you are afraid of some islands, _ ” Hajime flinched. “ _ The way you are never sunburnt despite never putting on sunblock- and I know for a fact you have noticed this, _ ” Every word sent another wave of throbbing pain through his head. “ _ The cabin across from Mikan’s that should not be there, the rocks on the central island in a shape that you can’t decipher, the feeling that things are missing on the fifth island, the way you cannot think anything that contradicts Jabberwock Island being a safe place, the fact that  _ **_you know my voice_ ** _ - _ ”

“SHUT UP!” Hajime yelled at the disembodied voice. “Shut. Up. I don’t want to hear this. It’s- it’s all normal. I like it here! It’s perfect! I’m here with all my-”

“ _ With all your friends? Tell me, Hajime, do you remember how you all got here? _ ”

“Of- of course, I…” He didn’t. He couldn’t remember. Hajime fell to the floor and hugged his knees. It felt like the world was falling apart around him, unravelling at the seams. But it all  _ looked so real _ . Nothing in the room was changing and yet he felt like something was coming undone.

“ _...Look at your wall. _ ”

“I- what?”

_ “Just do it.” _

Hajime raised his head and blinked through what now felt like harsh light after his eyes were pressed against his knees. “I don’t understand. It’s fine, it’s a normal wall. There’s nothing wrong with it.”

“ _ Yes, you’re right- there’s  _ nothing wrong _. Just a few minutes ago-”  _ It began to dawn on Hajime just what the voice was trying to say. “ _ You were angry and confused-” _

“Stop.”

_ “You punched the wall-” _

“Stop it.”

“ _ It broke. There was a dent. And now-” _

“I said  _ stop _ .”

“ **_There is nothing there._ ** _ It’s as if the wall never broke in the first place.” _ The voice paused as Hajime shook and screwed his eyes shut, as if he could forget his anger if he tried hard enough. “ _ Hajime. You need to listen to me. I-” _

“NO I DON’T! I don’t have to do  _ shit _ ! There’s- there’s nothing wrong, I  _ like it here _ .”

“ _...Do you?”  _ The voice had subtly changed to sounding sympathetic. Hajime didn’t even know how he could tell.

“I…” Hajime hesitated. He wanted to answer- he just wasn’t sure how. “I’m leaving. I’m going on a walk.”

_ “You can’t ignore this forever, Hajime.” _ The voice seemed exasperated.

“Watch me!” He put up his middle finger over his shoulder as he walked out of the cottage.

It was a quiet night, just like every other evening on Jabberwock Island. It had to be somewhere near midnight, and logically Hajime knew it was very dark, but he could still see fine. He passed it off as the dim moonlight lighting up the path.

It was a weak excuse, even to him.

His steps on the stone paths were loud in the silence. It felt calming, to have that repetition of the same sound, over and over. It wasn’t unpredictable. There were no surprises hidden in his footsteps.

The beach was quiet. Everything seemed bathed in gray and blue, dark sand and calm black waves with glinting light from reflections of the moon. The sand was cold when he sat on it, a harsh contrast from the way it burned during the day.

It appeared to him, then, what was so familiar about the strange voice and why he could understood the subtle changes in tone:

It sounded like an echo of his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, was this chapter fun to write! I usually have a lot of trouble writing dialogue, but for some reason it's so much easier with these two. I just like their dynamic a lot. Especially the very end of the conversation was fun, very sibling-like.
> 
> I hope you guys liked reading this (sorry it's a bit shorter than usual btw)! I really like seeing kudos and love reading comments even more, so I'd love it if you decided to do either :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, folks! This chapter is a little longer than usual cuz I wanted to get some build-up going, so enjoy that treat ;)

It was a perfect night on Jabberwock Island, as always. Hajime couldn’t bring himself to return to his own cottage, not when there was a possibility of the voice waiting for him there. How long had it been watching him? What had it meant when it said the “program” couldn’t keep it asleep forever? He couldn’t face that right now. But if he couldn’t go to his own cottage… he thought he might as well investigate something the voice had mentioned, something he’d pushed to the back of his mind during a spell of panic.

Hajime stood across from Mikan’s cottage, yet to turn around to look at the cabin he couldn’t decipher. He knew it’d just give him a headache. But at the same time, it wasn’t something he could just ignore.

Turning around was physically difficult, as if he was trying to wade through some thick liquid. Sure enough, as soon as the mysterious building came into view, pain bloomed behind his eyes and Hajime had to resist the urge to fall to his knees in pain. He knew logically that it shouldn’t be there. There were only seven girls on this trip, it just didn’t make sense to have this extra cabin, at least not in the place it was. He would have expected a spare cabin to be at the end of a row, not right next to the main path. Yet here it was. A cottage that made it feel like his head was splitting in two.

If turning around had been a challenge, actually walking to the door was even harder. It truly felt like he was pushing against gravity. It took all his effort to turn the doorknob, but once he had pushed inside, the strange force let up and he stumbled a bit before regaining his balance.

Hajime had noticed over time that his friends’ cabins usually had more personality than his own. Gundham’s was a veritable play-pen for the Four Dark Devas of Destruction, Sonia’s had an entirely unique color scheme and looked like a room fit for royalty, Mahiru’s was covered in pictures she’d taken herself, Ibuki’s was filled with instruments- he could go on. Hell, even Nagito had a not insignificant collection of books in the corner of his room. Hajime’s cottage seemed to be the only one that wasn’t tailored to its owner’s tastes.

This cabin was no exception.

The first thing he noticed was that it was messy; game consoles and controllers littered the floor, as well as half-empty cans of soda and bags of chips. An arcade game sat in the far corner of the room, all black with red accents. It wasn’t on at the moment and Hajime felt like touching it would be invasive in some way, so he stayed away. There was also a rug on the floor in the familiar shape of something out of the video game  _ Gala Omega _ . Despite the memory being fuzzy, he knew he’d played it before. He wasn’t bad at it but… his opponent was far better than him. He didn’t even remember who she was.  _ Eh,  _ Hajime thought to himself,  _ if I can’t remember, it’s probably not that important. _

The thought made him want to weep.

In fact, everything in this room made him feel like breaking down in tears. It was all so achingly familiar. Despite not remembering ever entering before, he felt like he’d spent hours upon hours sitting on the rug, losing whatever video game his opponent had chosen that day.

He’d never resented her for it, though. Not once the entire time he knew her.

Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes but he quickly wiped them away. Hajime didn’t know why he was reacting like this. He was confused but at the moment, didn’t particularly care. This felt like long overdue grieving.

How long had he spent here, on Jabberwock Island? It was hard to say. Days blended together in a haze of sweet memories. Everything here felt like it was glazed in honey and sugar. Hajime didn’t want to leave. And because of that, he’d never counted the days.

“It’s been a long time,” Hajime whispered to an audience he couldn’t remember. “I’m sorry.”

There was a soft mumble on the wind that he couldn’t quite catch, but it was comforting. He felt so tired; he’d been fighting for a long time and all he wanted to do was rest. He could rest here. He could rest with her, just for a bit.

Hajime collapsed onto the bed and curled up in the blankets, letting the blinking of the game consoles fade away as he slipped into sleep.

The next morning he awoke back in his own bed.

If the voice was still there, it didn’t talk to him. Hajime didn’t know if that was because it couldn’t or if the voice was just miffed that he had ignored it. Knowing its bored tone, he assumed the former. If it could have spoken to him, it would have been pestering him just like it was last night. He couldn’t tell whether or not he was thankful for the silence.

Like every morning, Hajime took his time walking to the restaurant. Not because it was a chore or because he didn’t want to see his friends, but simply because there was no rush. He vaguely remembered the sensation of running up the stairs to the restaurant in a panic. He never wanted to feel like that ever again.

The restaurant was the same as ever; no one else seemed to be affected by the melancholy mood that had washed over him, although there weren’t many people there at the time to be fair. Hajime elected to skip food this morning and went straight to his usual seat at the table.

Nagito was here before him- although that didn’t mean much since Hajime was late this morning. The other boy usually came a little later. Hajime had asked him why once, and the only answer he’d gotten was a coy smile. He honestly didn’t want to know what that was all about, although it probably wasn’t anything as bad as he thought it was. Nagito wasn’t very good at expressing when he was doing something bad; sometimes it seemed like all his actions were the opposite of what they should have been. As little sense as that made, it was the best answer Hajime had ever come up with.

Nagito and Kazuichi were swept up in an excited conversation while Fuyuhiko leaned back in his chair, utterly relaxed. 

“Should it be gas-powered or electric?” Kazuichi pondered, hand on his chin like he was stroking an invisible beard. The motion was getting grease on his chin, but Hajime elected not to point that out. It seemed the other two had the same idea.

“What if you wound it up? Like a toy?” Nagito cocked his head. How someone could be so cute without even realizing it, Hajime didn’t know.

“Nah man,” Kazuichi shook his head, “It’s no fun if they’ve gotta stop every few feet.”

“Hmm, true, true…”

“What are you two talking about?” Hajime asked.

Kazuichi smiled mischievously. “I’m gonna build a little car for the Devas. Shit- when did I start calling them that? They’re just hamsters.” He slapped his cheeks twice. “Anyway, I’m building them a car and Nagito’s tagging along.”

“Why? Nagito doesn’t know much about engineering. That I know of, at least.” Hajime couldn’t be sure; the white-haired boy was full of surprises.

“Oh! I’ve got to take the hamsters with me while building so I can test it right. Otherwise the calculations would be all off! I don’t know their exact weight, so I can’t really make little hamster-sized sandbags- as much as I  _ really _ wanted to.” Kazuichi lent forward in his chair. “Nagito is coming along ‘cause with his luck, Gundham’ll never find us! God, I can’t even imagine what he’d do if he found me with his stolen hammy-wammies.” The smile dropped from his face and he shuddered in fear.

Nagito smiled brightly. “I’m also good with animals.” 

“He’s also good with animals!” Kazuichi’s grin returned full-force. “This is gonna be  _ awesome _ !”

Hajime chuckled. “I’m excited to see the final product. I’m sure once Gundham sees it, he’ll forgive you pretty quick.”

“God, I sure hope so. Speaking of Gundham,” Kazuichi turned to face Nagito. “He’s exhausted ‘cause Nekomaru made him work out yesterday. We should get going before he’s fully awake. We won’t be able to get the hamsters otherwise.”

“Great idea!”

With that, the two boys scurried down the stairs of the restaurant. “Those hamsters are going for the ride of their lives!” Hajime heard Kazuichi’s voice from outside.

Fuyuhiko spoke for the first time since Hajime had gotten there. “Think they’ll actually be able to get the Devas in the first place?”

“If Nagito is there, I think they’ve got a decent chance.”

Fuyuhiko shrugged in return before sitting up straight in his chair upon noticing that Peko was walking towards them. “Good morning, Peko.” He smiled warmly.

“Good morning,” she said. “Hello to you as well, Hajime. Fuyuhiko, I just wanted to tell you that I’ll be on the third island with Ibuki today. She wants to see if I can use my sword like a baseball bat or something.” She pecked him on the forehead and they exchanged their goodbyes, Peko smiling as she walked away.

Fuyuhiko looked down at his food with a fond grin.  _ Those two really are good for each other, _ Hajime thought. But his bittersweet feelings couldn’t help but overcome the happy thought. “Fuyuhiko,” Hajime said hesitantly. “Are you… happy?”

The other boy snapped his head up in surprise. “Huh? Yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Hajime frowned. “I just- I don’t know. I haven’t been feeling super well lately I guess.”

“Yeah, Nagito told me you freaked out a couple nights ago. Asked me if I could talk to you about it, actually. I was gonna do it today.”

“Wh- really?” Hajime raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Yeah man, he seemed really concerned.” Fuyuhiko’s brows furrowed. “And now I’m starting to worry, too. You seem off. Is everything okay?”

“It’s- it’s fine.” Even to Hajime’s ears, it sounded weak. “I’ve just got to figure some stuff out. I just- I’m glad you’re happy. I’m glad everyone is happy.”

Fuyuhiko smiled. “Me too.”

That was the last straw for Hajime and guilt began to bloom in his chest. He pushed his chair away from the table and started to walk down the stairs to the hotel lobby, feeling a lump in his throat all the way. Why was he feeling this way? He didn’t understand any of it. Maybe if-

His thoughts were caught off by what he saw in the hotel lobby. His eyes widened and his mouth all of a sudden felt dry. He wanted to speak but no words were coming out. It was like he had been frozen in time.

Standing in front of him at an arcade machine, was a girl. Her light pink hair fell softly around her shoulders, bouncing as she moved her shoulders to push the buttons. The movements stopped as a few minor notes came out of the machine. Over her shoulder, Hajime could read the screen:

_ GAME OVER. _

_ YOU DIED. _

“Aw man,” Her soft, airy voice made him choke up all over again. “I was so close to beating my high score.” As if she had sensed his presence, the girl turned her head to look at him. Her pale pink eyes opened wide and then crinkled when she smiled sadly at the sight of him. She turned away from the game, left arm still resting on the buttons.

“Oh…” Her head tilted. “...Hi, Hajime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how about that twist, huh?
> 
> I was really excited to write the ending scene so I hope it came out well lol. As usual, comments and kudos make me very happy so I am very thankful if you decide to do either!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I really hope yall liked this! The dialogue was really tough to write, haha. I'm definitely better at descriptions and internal monologue, like you may have noticed from the dream sequence in the beginning. I loved writing that. I don't really have a concrete plan for this yet, honestly, but I'll see where my writing takes me.  
> I'd love to get some comments, but you don't have to write one if you don't want to! Still, much appreciated. Kudos, too. I wanna hear from yall!


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